Audio recording apparatus, for example mobile phones, can be equipped with multiple microphones for capturing acoustic energy and outputting audio signals. These audio recording systems can make use these microphones to pick-up and record audio signals from the surrounding environment. Occasionally, the operation of one or more of these microphones may become impaired. For example, a microphone may become blocked, partially blocked, shadowed (in other words the object is not directly over the microphone but can restrict any acoustic waves reaching the microphone), broken or otherwise impaired in operation.
For example, small particles such as dust may become embedded in the microphone leading to a deterioration in the operation of the microphone, a microphone may become blocked or partially blocked by a finger or other body part, a microphone may break or partially break due to a mechanical or other cause and/or a microphone may become impaired due to sound distortion introduced by environmental factors such as wind.
This may lead to a reduction in the quality of the recorded audio.